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Posted on October 12th, 2015

Cadaqués lies just across the Spanish border, at the extreme north of the Costa Brava, four and a half hours drive from the Luberon. Situated on an attractive bay in a national park, the town is protected from over-development. Locals speak a variation of Catalan, similar to that of the Balearics. Seclusion, climate and beauty have combined to create an artistic colony attracting many celebrities down the years, including Dali, Picasso, Miro, Merlina Mercouri and Walt Disney. The town was first documented in 814 following the wreck of a ship carrying saintly relics which were rescued with help from the villagers. Further records detail transactions in 974 and 1030 relating to property and fishing rights. Locals depended upon fishing and farming in those days,…

Posted on October 12th, 2015

Salvador Dali lived with his wife Gala in Port Lligat, next to Cadaqués, for more than fifty years, from 1930 to 1982, though he managed to retreat elsewhere during the Spanish Civil War and WWII. Port Lligat is a tiny coastal hamlet overlooking a protected bay only twenty minutes walk from Cadaqués. Dali left his estate to the Spanish State so it is possible to visit the house and gardens. He originally bought one fishermans cottage, but with growing fame and wealth he bought four neighbouring houses to create one dwelling. Even so the house is modestly sized, best suited to a couple, with minimal guest accommodation. The house and garden are full of typically bizarre Dali art, including a penis-shaped swimming pool and…

Posted on October 2nd, 2015

It has been thirty years since I last visited Lake Como and I had almost forgotten how beautiful it is. The journey from the Luberon is eight hours by car, so we stopped for two nights in Castiglione Falletto in Piedmont, near the wine village of Barolo. We really enjoyed our stopover among the scenic rolling hills and vineyards of Piedmont. Some photos of the region can be found: HERE Next we set off for Bellagio on Lake Como. The lake is 50km long, shaped like an inverted “Y” with Bellagio in the centre. We planned to leave the car to use ferries for expeditions around the lake. These included the MV Milano, built as a paddlesteamer in Genoa in 1904 then converted to screw in 1926. While…